The sudden recognition of Palestine by Brazil and Argentina is part of the periodic shucking-off of U.S. influence in Latin America, as well as the result of cultivation by the Palestinian leadership and the vacuum created by the collapse of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. More ▸

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office distanced itself from the foreign minister’s plan that would transfer Israeli Arab towns to a future Palestinian state in exchange for annexing Israeli settlements in the West Bank. More ▸

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad says he has a plan: Build a de facto Palestinian state by mid-2011, then with all the trappings of statehood in place, invite Israel to recognize the well-functioning Palestinian state and withdraw from territories it still occupies or be forced to do so by the pressure of international opinion. More ▸